RAFAEL van der Vaart could be ready to follow the example of Brazilian Ronaldinho by snubbing United in favour of a move to Spanish underachievers Barcelona.

The attacking midfielder has been watched on a number of occasions by United this season and had been tipped to make a £12 million move from Ajax in the summer.

But the 21-year-old Dutch international has revealed that while he is ready for a new challenge he would prefer to engineer a move to Sun-drenched Catalonia.

"I have made no secret of the feeling I have for Barca," van der Vaart told the Mirror.

Family club

"They are the club I have supported all of my life for family reasons. They are the club of my mother's family.

"I do not know what the future holds, but I have played in the Nou Camp for Ajax and it was a dream come true for me."

One player who will be disappointed should the Reds miss out will be Ruud van Nistelrooy, who recently said: "Rafael is an outstanding player and I would love to see him in a Manchester United shirt."

"He is the sort of player who can operate just behind the attack and create chances for the strikers."

But even the promptings of an international team-mate might not be enough to tempt van der Vaart given the strong Dutch connections at the Catalan side. The side is managed by Frank Rijkaard and includes first team players Phillip Cocu, Michael Reiziger, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert.